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Shayser
A History: Shayser Stormwhisper :Much of what is known of the Kal’dorei, Shayser Stormwhisper, comes from stuff of legend and tales of the past. Though many do not acknowledge him by name, one would quite often stumble across a character in their stories whose name they do not remember. ::In truth, the likeliness is, they are referring to Shayser himself. Humble Beginnings :Shayser was born in an Elven camp in the mountains between Winterspring and the Moonglade city of Nighthaven to Sprinth & Jarrae Stormwhisper. The first of their children, they were elated with his birth, and showered him with affection for all his childhood. They did however, do much to hide his silvery eyes from the rest of their camp and the nearby villages for fear of him being looked down upon. Much to their surprise, the silvery glow brightened, and developed a slight golden tinge to it, and they were happy to show off their son proudly. However, the damage had been done. Years of playing alone, learning lessons at home, and being taught the way of the world by only his parents had developed misanthropic tendencies, and left Shayser recluse, and quiet. :Jarrae, noticing his son’s aversion to others provided him with a two gifts: a small, but lovingly crafted, set of arrows and a matching bow. Shayser took to these quite quickly, and would often be seen out of doors practicing his aim. :There came a time where Shayser accidentally fired an arrow at a rock, and it ricocheted down a small ravine. Feeling brave, he decided to climb down in search of the arrows his father had given him. Upon reaching the bottom, he was able to find the arrow resting between the paws of a sleeping nightsaber. Freezing in place, he was unsure of what to do. The beast, as if perturbed by the simple presence of the boy, opened its eyes, looked Shayser over, and closed its eyes in a huff. Shayser quickly snatched the arrow, and scrambled back up the ravine. He gazed down in wonderment at the beast, and in a whisper said, ::“I will call you Ace…” The Simple Things :Shayser came home from the thickets of the Moonglade after foraging for berries, herbs, and minerals to add to his collection (the latter he found near the mountains of Darkshore) to find his parents deep in conversation. ::“…One's inability to understand logic does not dismiss the existence of it, Sprinth.” :His father said casually, a smile forming at the sight of his son. Shayser listened intently to their conversation and it seemed they were moving, and a good deal of their possessions had already been packed. Shayser waited for a break in the conversation, and asked his father to come with him. The two went down the ravine to the place where Ace, the saber lived, and Shayser revealed to his father his best friend. The cat happily wagged its tail, and perked up its ears at the sight of the boy. Jarrae, realizing his son’s affinity to the world of nature decided that before they left, he should be trained in the art of beast taming. :The following week, the family of three, and the newest addition of a handsome white saber who had already been named, packed up their things and departed for the core of the city of Nighthaven. Home is Where the Heart Is :Shayser’s misanthropic ways and solitude always worried his parents. The day he brought home a friend whom he’d met in the forest for dinner left them speechless and shocked. The name of his friend was Elthanar, a young Kal’dorei who had blazing golden eyes and a wry smile to match his sense of humour. The family talked over dinner excitedly with Shayser’s friend and enjoyed a good laugh as the two sparred outside while Jarrae and Sprinth sipped tea from delicate Elven crystal. :Elthanar and Shayser trained in the way of hand-to-hand combat and they practiced very often. From Elthanar’s ability to wield weapons, and Shayser’s ability with a bow, they became well versed in various styles of combat and were a force to be reckoned with. Prior to each of their training sessions, Sprinth would apply holy magic to Shayser and Elthanar's weapons, and their bodies to protect each of them from serious harm. :Through the years, they helped each other grow. Shayser never fully withdrew from his eremitic ways, but Elthanar became a great many things. However, this story is not about him and that’s a story for another time. Adventurers At Heart :Shayser and Elthanar, on the eve of their 20th and 21st birthdays, went on a trek into the forests surrounding Mt. Hyjal. They climbed the mountainside, and set up camp near a small moonwell in a clearing that has a fantastic view of the world tree. They spent a month there, documenting the land, and traversing the hills as requested by Jarrae, and once they decided they had obtained the required information they packed up camp. :Their descent back was an arduous trip. During that time of year, the rains came in torrents and the wind almost blew them off the cliff face multiple times. They had to work diligently to keep their ropes taught enough to steadily make the decline, and even once there was a rockslide. The rocks above them on the cliff face had slipped, nearly severing Shayser’s rope, and nearly knocking him unconscious. Bruised and bleeding, Shayser paused to nurse his wounds and found a resting place in a small cave. :As Shayser rested, Elthanar remained on the ropes, double-checking the fasteners, knots, and durability. Sitting back in the cave, looking out, Shayser chuckled as he watched his friend work diligently. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and wondered briefly what the sudden rumbling was around him before he was struck on the head from a loose piece of the ceiling and the world his closed eyes saw stayed black. Decidophobia :When he finally opened his eyes, Shayser was alone. He rubbed his head, muttered angrily to himself about another wound to deal with, and blinked his eyes. He didn’t see Elthanar anywhere. He darted to the opening of the cave, and looked side to side, up and down. When he looked up, the cliff face was quite different than he remembered it. It seemed to have all given way, and the roots of the trees were exposed and snakelike. No sign of any of his rappelling equipment, or Elthanar’s for that matter, could be seen. :Looking down again, breathing heavily, and beginning to worry, he tried to see if there was a safe way down. Going over the options he had, he paused when he noticed he could see the great Lake Elune’ara over the expanse of Winterspring below him. He looked further down, and could see birds of prey hovering and slowly descending towards a central point below him. Fearing the worst, and his heart skipping a beat in fear, he slowly walked away from the cave’s opening. :He shuffled, crestfallen, to the back of the cave and sat next to what could only be a large, abandoned bird’s nest. He closed his eyes and began to say a prayer his mother had taught him in remembrance of the dead. :::“Ande'thoras-ethil, Elthanar… :::Thor falah nor dora Shan… :::Shal myrinon ishnu daldorah dalah shan’do… :::Zin anu’dora’dieb… :::Anu'dorini talah, dalore…” *** :As he prayed, he reached into the nearby nest, and began to gather the feathers, down, and leaves, packing them under his leather armour. Upon reaching the end of his prayer, he knelt, closed his eyes, pressed his back to the cave wall, and took a deep breath. He tried to focus on animal life, and the aspects of a monkey, and cheetah flashed over his mind. What Goes Up Must Come Down :Focusing on the cheetah, his eyes flashed open, and he began to run. There was not much distance to cover, but Shayser placed every step carefully knowing full well what could happen otherwise. He reached the edge of the cave, curled his foot around the edge, and leapt outwards as hard as he could. The cold air swept his hair back, and caused his eyes to water. He closed them, and his ears folded back against his head from the wind. He tried to keep his arms and legs together, straight, and left himself as thin as would be able. The wind flowed over his body, the coldness of it starting to cause his exposed skin to shiver and numb as he soared through the air. :The warmth of the Moonglade’s energies was not soon reached for Shayser as he passed out from the cold air rushing around him and his descent. Nearly frozen, and out cold, his body landed just shy of the lake’s center in the middle of a fishing boat splitting it clean in two. His body sank to the bottom and was quickly retrieved by the fishermen who’s boat he had destroyed. All In Time :When they had brought him to the shore, one of the men, a local druid and friend of Shayser’s father turned, facing the city of Nighthaven lept skywards and quickly soared into the sky, a plumage of feathers covering his body, his arms shifting to wings, and his feet becoming talons, before crying out the sad song of the Stormcrow, alerting the city’s inhabitants that a tradgedy had occurred. Jarrae, when notified, rushed to his son’s side, and when he rode up on his saber he vaulted from it’s back, and knelt by Shayser, taking his head in his hands. “Help me carry him to the city!” he cried out to the people gathered around, and the many people quickly gathered him up, wrapped him in cloaks, and placed him across the back of Jarrae’s saber and he was taken up into the city. Isolation :Days later, Shayser awoke from his slumber, his joints stiff and sore. He washed up, grabbed a drink and stepped outside into the evening air. Waking in the city Shayser was greeted by his mother, father, Ace, and Elthanar’s parents. They all smiled softly and looked at him expectantly. ::“Shayser… we were wondering if you could tell us about what happened on the cliff side? We are all curious…” :Shayser looked to each of them in turn slowly, a sullen look creeping onto his face. ::“I… I wish I knew… I assumed Elthanar made it to you at least. Is Elthanar not back yet?” :The two families turned to each other and exchanged sorrowful glances before Sprinth spoke up, barely above a whisper. ::“He has not been seen, son… not a word has been heard.” :Shayser blinked rapidly, the shock of the news sinking in quickly. ::“I have… lost my best friend…?” :He said aloud to nobody in particular. ::“He is… gone?” :Shayser’s mouth hung open in surprise and he turned away from the group and began to lowly step away from them. He paused for a moment, looking down to his feet where Ace was sitting, looking up at him. He whispered to the cat who darted off and he began to walk towards his house. He gathered his clothes, weapons, and things and was gone the next day. A Friend in Need :Shayser left the Moonglade and the city of Nighthaven that night wracked with guilt. He traveled over the mountains, making camp high above the forest tops and it was here he stayed, speaking to none for near a millennia. :::MORE TO COME Category:Night Elf Shayser Stormwhisper